Brooder



Feb. 23, 1943. J M.-IMAHLSTA'DT 2 2,

BROODER Filed July is, 19:59

4 Sheets-Sheet 1 :mneritor Feb. 23, 1943- J. M. MAHLSTADT BROODER Filed July 15, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 3nugntor Ju ZL' as m.

Nah Zstqzdt by Gttornex Feb. 23,1943- J M. MAHLSTADT w 2,312,257

' BROODER 1 Filed July 15. 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Assss ros Zinventor JuZius M. mahltc zdt,

an 4 4 ttorneg Patented Feb. 23, 1943 .UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BROODER Julius M. Mahlstadt, Mason City, Iowa Application July 15, 1939, Serial No. 284,625

1 Claim.

My invention relates to improvements in brooders, and the principal, object thereof is to supply a relatively inexpensive device most suitable for housing chicks, sanitarily, and for warming them at times as properly regulated, by thermostatic means.

Another object of my improvements is to furnish a plurality of floor components within and readily separable at times from the housing, including means for receiving and operably removing the droppings and for manual use.

Another object of my improvements is to combine with the floor components a netted floor above a movable element for receiving such droppings, one component being a thermostatically controlled convoluted conductor for heating the interior of the brooder, with other means for sealing such floor components against the entry of moisture from without.

Another object of my improvements is to construct the housing with suitable means for aeration, and with various portals, whereby the inclosed chicks are protected from attacks from without.

All of these objects, with others to be subsequently mentioned, are described in the following specification, claimed in the claim, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

It will be understood that various modifications may be effected in the several components of the brooder, without thereby departing from the scope of this invention or the protection of the claim.

Fig. 1 is a top plan of the booder. Fig. 2 is one end elevation thereof, with a portion broken away, and Fig. 3 is an elevation of the opposite end of the brooder. Fig. 4 is a plan of the brooder as inverted, with the flooring elements removed and certain parts broken away. Fig. 5 is a top plan of a netting covered floor frame for the housed chicks in the brooder. Fig. 6 is a metal covered open frame, shown inverted, and supplied with a convoluted heating conductor supported upon and insulated from the frame parts. Fig. 6a is a wiring diagram. Fig. '7 is a floor frame, open but covered at one face with a moisture impervious covering as a basal floor element of the congeries including the elements shown in Figs. 5 and 6. Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the brooder, taken on the line 8--8 of Fig. 4, with parts broken away.

Fig. 1 is a top plan of the brooder, in which is shown the roof I having at both ends like but reversed cupolas 20 with curvate metallic roofs having quadrangular depending wall parts 2 resting upon lower fixed wall parts, hinged thereto at 2 and having separable engageable connections Zd-Ze. on their faces opposite the'hinges 2f, permitting the roofs 20 to be swung to an open position at times. The roof I is shown with O posite slopes, but may be otherwise shaped asdesired. V

In Fig. 2 is shown a transverse end door le hung on a plurality of hinges [0 on the fixed end plate lb and fastenable by rockable wing nuts Id, thus releasably securing the door is to the fixed crossbar If of the brooder. The roof I has preferably a metal covering la overlapped upon the parts lb. Certain parts 2?) of the side metal coverings of the cupolas are overlapped upon the end parts of the brooder and secured thereto.

The roof I of metal is lined by layers of asbestos If as shown in Fig. 8. The side walls 4 and 5 are connected by arched rafters lg for supporting the roof, and these rafters are longitudinally spaced. Certain of these rafters are doubled. The numeral 8 denotes a fixed transverse member end-connected to the side walls 4 and 5, and narrowly spaced from the end wall 3. The member 8 is also secured to short vertical ribs 6 on the end wall 3, and these ribs (see Fig. 8) are at the ends above notched downwardly at 6a to seat removably the spindles terminations outwardly at la, whereby the terminations there may be tilted in seating or removing them, the inner ends of the spindles being seated in the middle rib 6. A pair of these spindles so seated, and carrying a roll of thin paper in each case at 1, can be rotated from without the brooder by the operator, when the paper so carried at 1-10 beneath the netting 25 is pulled out endwise through the opening that is normally closed by the door le.

When desired, an incandescent lamp 9 may be mounted within the brooder upon one of the roofing ribs lg. As shown in Figs. land 2, a door aperture lie in the side wall 5 is covered by a door lh on a hinge lm to swing outwardly downwardly, and which when closed may be fastened by a lock member In. This aperture may be utilized in passing things therethrough into the brooder. The heating circuit includes a heating wire l6, lead in wires I1, l8 and Ill, lamps 9 and Ha, a switch l6) controlled by a thermostat II, and a source of current 29a.

Referring to Figs. 6 and 8, the numeral 29 denotes a metal plate closing the space between the bottom edges of the brooder walls, and removably secured thereto. Upon this basal plate 29 are positioned a tier of devices to be described, and these are removable when the base plate 29 is taken off. In Fig. '7 is shown a rectangular frame composed of end bars 2| and 2m secured endwise on side bars 22a and 22b braced by longitudinal and transverse bars 22, 23a and 23b, and having one face of the frame covered by a relatively thick sheet 23 of asbestos fabric. The device shown in Fig. 7 is inverted to exhibit its framing, but in service the asbestos sheet 23 is uppermost, and this frame rests removably upon the metal base-plate.

Fig. 6 shows another frame I2 having a metal top plate [3, and shown inverted in this figure to better disclose the convoluted wire conductor l5 mounted thereon. The frame [2 is crossed by three spaced cross-bars M which are transversely drilled in alinement lengthwise of the frame at six places on each bar toreceive cylindric bodies of insulation [5. The transversely spaced longitudinal wire reaches traverse the bodies I5 loosely with their left-hand reaches [6a secured to the frame by eyelet screws I613. The opposite righthand reache's'are secured to like screws I (ie by coiled springs 16d secured to like screws I6e and connecting rings 20, under strain. One terminal of the conductor [5 is likewise connected to the frame by a coiled spring l9 and eyelet screw [66, while the other termination of the conductor is similarly connected under strain to the frame. The flexible conductors I! and I8 traverse the frame through a hole l-2a, and are connected to opposite terminals of the heating wire I6.

Fig. 5 shows a hollow rectangular frame of like shape and dimensions to the frames hereinbefore Shawn and in Fig. 8 is depicted as the uppermost element of the tier of three frames. includes side bars 24, end bars 21, spaced bars 26 and a single medial longitudinal bar [8. A wire netting 25 is mounted upon and secured to the top of said frame. This netting constitutes a floor upon which chicks may walk when within The frame the brooder, and any droppings fall through the interstices of the netting upon the pair of flatly unrolled paper strips 10 of the rolls 1. These strips may be manually drawn out of the brooder with any droppings thereon, and then torn off flush with the brooder, when the door le is open.

Food may be placed in any suitable open receptacle positioned upon the wire floor 25 as by .way of the inlet opening He, also water in another receptacle. Also the hinged turret members 2-2c may be swung upwardly for ventilation, or placing of the chicks in the brooder as may be necessary. The basal members may be removed for cleaning or storage when the base-plate 29 is taken away. The rolls of paper I may be lifted out of or placed within the notches 6a, when the swing door le is opened.

InFig, 8 are shown like longitudinal bars secured to depend from the parts 4 and 5, and to be supported on any surface beneath them, thus spacing the bottom member 29 therefrom.

I claim:

In an inclosed building having a plurality of ports with openable closures therefor, a tier of superposed devices removably fitting its lower part and separable from each other in spaced relation, comprising a bottom closure impervious to water, a reticulated floor space vertically from said closure, a metal plate between and spaced from said bottom closure and floor, an electric circuit including a convoluted heating conductor mounted on and insulated from the under surface of .said plate, said circuit including electric lighting means, a thermostat and a make and break device, and a roll of paper mounted in the building atone end thereof with an end part carried movably beneath and spaced from the reticulated floor to be withdrawn outwardly therefrom through a wall port when its closure is opened.

JULIUS M. MAHLSTAD'II. 

